Method of making a denture

ABSTRACT

A denture is manufactured in a single visit using a pre-formed dental template chosen from a plurality of different sized dental templates, based on the size of a patient&#39;s alveolar edentulous ridge. The dental template includes a base acrylic with prosthetic teeth attached thereto. A viscous material such as an acrylic is added to the selected dental template and the dental template with the added viscous material is placed on the patient&#39;s alveolar edentulous ridge. The viscous material is then allowed to solidify to form a rigid or semi-rigid material with the template in proper position in three planes and properly border molded. After solidification a denture is formed that consists of a first base acrylic portion in conterminous relation with a second portion formed of the solidified material that had been added as a viscous material, and with teeth joined to the base acrylic portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to medical devices and, more specificallyto dentures and a method for fabricating a denture in one visit.

Description of the Related Art

Many patients require dentures but do not have easy access to dentalcare, either because of monetary limitations or geographicallimitations. Many patients are older and live in nursing homes orassisted living facilities, making it difficult for those patients to goto the dentist's office once, let alone visit the office four to fivetimes as required for conventional dentures. Additionally, conventionaldentures are expensive and not fully covered by insurance and notcovered at all by Medicare. Nonetheless, functional dentures areimportant in maintaining general health, decreasing the incidence ofchronic disease, lowering overall medical costs while offering a higherquality of life and sense of self-esteem.

Missing teeth have a variety of implications, including impairment ofmastication, speech defects, swallowing disorders, nutrition intake,distorted facial contour, and overall physical and emotional discomfort.Headaches and other illnesses are often related to missing teeth.Replacement of missing teeth is therefore a necessity that issignificant to emotional and physical health and well being.

Conventional dentures are fabricated in dental offices and typicallyrequire four to five visits by the patient. During the first visit atthe dentist's office, a preliminary impression is taken to make a custommold of the mouth. That mold may be sent to the laboratory to makecustom impression trays. During the second visit to the dentist, thecustom impression trays are checked and adjusted and the dentist alsotakes final impressions. The corresponding laboratory procedures involvecreating a cast master mold, a stabilized based plate, and a waxocclusal rim. During the third visit to the dentist, the dentistdetermines the maxilio-mandibular relation, selects the teeth for thedenture, and takes a bite registration. The corresponding laboratorywork involves setting the anterior and posterior teeth, thus completinga wax denture for the patient to try. During the fourth visit to thedentist, the dentist checks the aesthetics and functionality of the waxup dentures, checks the occlusal and vertical dimension, and makes anyrequired corrections. The dentures are sent to the lab to be processedand finished. The fifth visit to the dentist involves the delivery ofthe dentures, a final check for fit and then, finally, the dentures aregiven to the patient for home use.

One article suggests that the process of fabricating a denture can beaccomplished in three appointments. This procedure is described in thearticle entitled The Three Appointment Denture Technique as Presented byRobert H. Griffiths, D.D.S. and Don Kaylor, C.D.T., printed by theCouncil on Prosthetic Services and Dental Laboratory Relations in May1979, in a pamphlet entitled Compilation of Reduced Fee DentureTechniques. In the first, 45 minute appointment, the dentist conducts anexamination of the patient which involves examining the tissue andstructures, taking a panoramic radiograph, discussing patient history,selecting impression trays, taking facial measurements, determining thetentative vertical and centric relationship, and selecting the teeth andteeth shades. Stabilized base plates should then be received from thelab so that a wax-up can occur. During the second, 20 minuteappointment, a preliminary fit analysis of the wax setup occurs andnecessary adjustments are made. Between the second and thirdappointments, the lab must complete the final set of dentures. Thethird, 20 minute appointment, involves checking the final set ofdentures and instructing the patient on how to use the dentures.

Most notably, the proposed three visit procedure only results in a costsaving when the dentist office is able to work closely with the dentallaboratory. Additionally, the procedure still requires making a waxmodel for the first try-in. Making a wax setup requires a significantamount of time and expense.

Sekendur, U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,981, discloses a method for making acustomized denture from standard sized segments of prefabricatedprosthetic teeth which may be joined and adjusted to fit an individual'smouth. Each prosthetic tooth is bonded to a prosthetic gum segment. Thegum segments of each prosthetic tooth are joined to form the gum line.The prosthetic teeth are first selected and then evaluated in thepatient's mouth by the dentist, conformed in the mouth or on a model ofthe mouth to form the denture, and finally cured to form the finisheddenture.

Saitoh, et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,062, discloses a prosthetic dentureprecursor and a method for making the same. The prosthetic dentureprecursor comprises at least one artificial tooth and aphotopolymerizable denture base material which holds the root portion ofthe artificial tooth. The method of making the prosthetic dentureprecursor does not require making a wax denture, as thephotopolymerizable denture base can be deformed prior to exposure tolight. After the tooth is adjusted to a dentally operative position, thebase is irreversibly hardened by exposure to light.

Hazar, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,947, discloses a custom denture andmethod for making the same. A standard-sized base is selected and fittedwith artificial teeth. The teeth are fit into the base and secured by aLi-shaped appliance which stabilizes the teeth in their relativepositions in the sockets. To determine the appropriate standard basesize to select, the dentist takes an impression of the patient's oralcavity. From the impression, upper and lower models are cast, allowingthe dentist to select the most appropriate standard-sized base. Thebases are then conformed to the surface contours using the casted modelsand finally, the artificial teeth are secured.

Other methods of making custom dentures have failed to fully address theissue of being able to produce the dental device in a single visit anddoing so at a reduced cost, such as may be at the level of Medicaidreimbursement. Thus, patients who do not have easy access to a dentaloffice and those who cannot afford the procedure are precluded fromdental treatment which is necessary for physical and emotional health.Furthermore, many dentists choose not to make dentures because theprocess requiring multiple visits is not profitable. Other methods alsorequire the use of an off-site dental laboratory, adding to time andcost.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a custom denture thatovercomes the shortcomings and limitations of conventional dentures andthe conventional methods for making dentures

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To address these and other needs, and in view of its purposes, oneaspect of the present invention provides a pre-formed denture templatewith teeth in place, and which requires only one step and only onesitting, to be made into a finalized, customized denture. The sittingmay be a visit to a dental office according to one exemplary embodiment.

According to one aspect, the invention provides a method for forming adenture for a patient in a single dental office visit. The methodcomprises providing a plurality of denture templates having differentsizes, each having been pre-formed to a pre-formed shape and comprisinga base acrylic portion with prosthetic teeth adjoined thereto, selectinga first dental template of the plurality of dental templates that has asize generally corresponding to a size of the patient's edentulousalveolar ridge but does not fit conformably, i.e., exactly thereto. Themethod further comprises adding an impression material which may be areline or other viscous material, to the first dental template andpositioning the first dental template on the patient's edentulousalveolar ridge to mold the impression material to conform to thecontours of the patient's edentulous alveolar ridge and vestibule. Themethod further comprises allowing the impression material to solidify toproduce a customized, rigid or semi-rigid molded portion thereby forminga denture comprised of the prosthetic teeth, the base acrylic portionand the solidified molded portion which includes a custom lining. Thesteps of selecting, adding, positioning and allowing may advantageouslytake place in one visit.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a dentureformed according to such method and including two acrylic sections. Atemplate is formed of a first acrylic portion and includes teeth coupleddirectly to the first acrylic portion. A second acrylic portion isconterminous with the first acrylic portion and conforms to a patient'sedentulous alveolar ridge and may be rigid or semi-rigid.

According to another aspect, the invention provides a denture comprisingteeth and a denture base consisting of two acrylic portions including atemplate fainted of a first acrylic portion and coupled directly to theteeth and a second acrylic portion adjacent and conterminous with thefirst acrylic portion and being conformed to a patient's edentulousalveolar ridge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is best understood from the following detaileddescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Itis emphasized that, according to common practice, the various featuresof the drawings are not necessarily to scale. On the contrary, thedimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded orreduced for clarity. Like numerals denote like features throughout thespecification and drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating the process for producing a denturein one office visit in accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate an exemplary maxillary denture template inaccordance with the present invention. FIG. 2A is a perspective view ofthe exemplary maxillary denture template, FIG. 2B is a side view of theexemplary maxillary denture template. FIG. 2C is a front view of theexemplary maxillary denture template. FIG. 2D is a cross-sectional viewof the exemplary maxillary denture template.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary mandibular denture templatein accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a viscous material added tothe mandibular denture template shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5A to 5D correspond to FIGS. 2A-2D and illustrate an exemplarymaxillary denture formed from the exemplary maxillary denture templateof FIGS. 2A-2D in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 5A is aperspective view of the exemplary maxillary denture formed in accordancewith the present invention. FIG. 5B is a side view of the exemplarymaxillary denture formed in accordance with the present invention. FIG.5C is a front view of the exemplary maxillary denture and FIG. 5D is across-sectional view of the exemplary maxillary denture formed inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a set of exemplary maxillary-mandibular denturesbeing worn by a patient.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides for making a dente a patient from apre-formed denture template device, in one sitting such as a visit to adental office or another location.

Referring to FIG. 1, prior to the patient's office visit 100, pre-formeddental templates are provided in multiple standard sizes at step 110. Atstep 120, the patient's edentulous alveolar ridge is measured and atstep 130, the appropriately sized dental template is selected. Viscousmaterial such as an acrylic is added at step 140 and the denturetemplate with the viscous material is placed over the edentulousalveolar ridge of the patient at step 150 and serves as an impressionmaterial. At step 160, the viscous material is allowed to solidify toform the denture. At step 170, the excess solidified material is trimmedand at step 180, the finished denture is worn by the patient. Themanufacture of the denture is complete in one office visit. At step 190,the patient leaves the dental office with the customized, finisheddenture as formed in one office visit. Note that the above flowchartillustrates one exemplary method for forming the completed denture butvarious variations and further details of the process are also withinthe purview of the invention and are disclosed herein, in conjunctionwith the following figures.

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate an exemplary pre-formed dental template inaccordance with the invention. FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate a maxillarydenture template used to produce the maxillary denture shown in FIGS.5A-5D but it should be understood that the method of the invention canbe can be practiced upon a mandibular denture template such as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, to produce a final customized mandibular denture. Theinventive method of manufacturing a denture from a dental template issubstantially similar for the mandibular and the maxillary units, withsome distinctions noted in the following detailed description.

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate exemplary maxillary denture template 1 from whicha denture will be made. Maxillary denture template 1 is not sized orcontoured to be in suitable condition to be worn as a denture but,rather, is pre-formed to a standard size. FIG. 2D is a cross-sectionalview taken along line 2D-2D of FIG. 2A. Maxillary denture template 1 isformed of an acrylic referred to as base acrylic 3 to distinguish itfrom another acrylic portion that may preferably be added. Teeth 5 arealready joined to base acrylic 3 in pre-formed maxillary dental template1. Teeth 5 are conventional prosthetic teeth preferably all of the samecolor, typically shade 65, although any of various other shades may beused in other exemplary embodiments. Teeth 5 may be formed of varioussuitable conventional materials used in the dental arts. Base acrylic 3may be formed of various suitable dental acrylics available in thedental arts. In one exemplary embodiment, the acrylic may be along-chain methyl methacrylate polymer. Methyl methacrylate is aninorganic compound with the formula CH₂═C(CH₃)CO₂CH₃. In other exemplaryembodiments, other suitable dental acrylics such as thermoplastic resinsand semi-rigid reline materials may be used as base acrylic 3.

Maxillary dental template 1 includes palatal vault 7 and is defined byanterior 9 and posterior 11. The palatal vault is not present in themandibular dental template embodiment, as will be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.Channel 13 is a valley that is generally u-shaped and extends aboutmaxillary denture template 1 corresponding to and for receiving thepatient's edentulous alveolar ridge. Channel 13 generally takes theshape of a trough and may have a generally u-shaped cross-section orother similar and suitable cross-sections for receiving the patient'sedentulous alveolar ridge. As will be shown, channel 13 of maxillarydenture template 1 is only generally shaped and sized to receive thepatient's edentulous alveolar ridge and only when additional acrylic orother viscous material is added to complete the denture as will beshown, will channel 13 have a suitably conformal size and shape definedby the added material, and be ready to be worn as a denture. Maxillarydental template 1 is pre-formed to a plurality of standard sizes thatmay be held in inventory by the dental practitioner.

When a patient with one or two edentulous alveolar ridges enters thedentist's office or onsite location for a single dental visit, thedentist will have stocked a plurality of different-sized pre-formedmaxillary and mandibular dental templates. According to one exemplaryembodiment, there may be four different sizes of each of the pre-formeddental templates and in another exemplary embodiment, there may be atleast three different sizes, i.e., small, medium and large pre-formeddental templates, possessed by the dentist, but various numbers ofdifferently-sized dental templates may be available in exemplaryembodiments. The patient is first examined. Once it is determined nogross pathology exists, a suitably sized pre-formed denture templatesuch as maxillary denture template 1 is chosen according to theembodiment in which the patient's edentulous ridge is the upper alveolarridge. The proper maxillary denture template 1 size is based on sizessuch as width 15 and length 17 and is chosen to minimize the amount offree space between denture template 1 and the edentulous ridge. Thewidth of the patient's maxillary ridge and other measurements may berecorded and taken into account in selecting the appropriately sizedmaxillary denture template 1. The size of maxillary denture template 1is chosen to preferably allow the upper posterior teeth to be positionedover the center of the patient's maxillary ridge. The selected maxillarydenture template 1 may have a size most closely resembling the size ofthe patient's anatomy. After the appropriately sized pre-formed denturetemplate 1 is selected from the plurality of dental template sizesavailable, maxillary denture template 1 is then formed into a finalmaxillary denture customized to the patient by next adding an impressionmaterial such as a further acrylic, which will be in viscous form whenadded to maxillary dental template 1. According to one embodiment, adevice similar to a Fox plate may be placed in the mouth against theteeth of the denture device in the patient's mouth. With such a devicein place, the ala-tragal line can be followed for the correct occlusalplane angle in a superior inferior dimension. The occlusal plane in acoronal dimension may also be noted with this device, to ensure that theocclusal plane matches the pupillary plane of the patient's eyes.Various other measurement and adjustment techniques may be used invarious exemplary embodiments.

The addition of viscous impression material will now be shown withrespect to a mandibular dental template in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 shows mandibular dental template 21, to which a further materialwill be added in viscous form. Mandibular dental template 21 is formedof base acrylic 23 and is defined by anterior 29 and posterior 31. Baseacrylic 23 may be formed of the materials described in conjunction withbase acrylic 3. Channel 33 generally receives the patient's mandibularedentulous ridge. To manufacture a custom-fit denture from pre-formedmandibular dental template 21, a further acrylic or other material ischosen to be added to mandibular denture template 21, in particularwithin channel 33 to serve as an impression material. The furthermaterial that will be added to base acrylic 23 to form the denture, isan impression material that is viscous when added to mandibular denturetemplate 21 and will later be allowed to solidify by cooling, airdrying, curing or by use of other suitable means, depending on the typeof further material used.

FIG. 4 shows viscous material 35 being added to mandibular denturetemplate 21. In particular, viscous material 35 is added into channel33. Various suitable acrylic or other materials may be used as viscousmaterial 35. In one exemplary embodiment, methyl methacrylate may beused. Other suitable acrylics such as thermoplastic acrylics may beused. In still other exemplary embodiments, conventional dentalmaterials such as thermoplastic resins and various suitable relinematerials may be used. Various other plastics and other biologicallycompatible materials may also be used in other exemplary embodiments.Many other appropriate materials are also available as conventionalreline material in the dental prosthetics field and may be used.

Appropriate amounts of viscous material 35 are added to mandibulardenture template 21 and various degrees of viscosity may be used.Viscous material 35 may be a gel, paste or other suitable compositionand serves as an impression material. One commonly used material is apowder/liquid combination which may be a monomer and polymer combinationthat sets to a firm but resilient consistency. Alternatively stated, theinitially viscous material 35 may solidify to form a semi-rigid materialaccording to one exemplary embodiment. According to another exemplaryembodiment, the initially viscous material 35 may solidify to form arigid material. The extent of the firmness can be based on the ratio ofthe powder/liquid mix. For edentulous ridges that are smaller or includemore friable tissue, the mix may be chosen for a softer consistency. Forlarger edentulous ridges with healthy tissue, the mix may be chosen toproduce a firmer consistency. The type of material chosen for thepatient may depend on the examination and amount of available edentulousridge.

Two exemplary acrylic reline materials that form semi-rigid materialsupon solidification, i.e., they retain some elasticity andcompressibility, include MucoSOFT by Parkell Corporation of Edgewood,N.Y. and PermaSoft by Dentsply Corporation of York, Pa. Materials thatform rigid materials upon solidification include MucoHARD by ParkaCorporation and Triad by Dentsply Corporation. Other suitable andcommercially available materials may be used in other exemplaryembodiments.

Various suitable conventional means may be used to introduce viscousmaterial 35 into mandibular denture template 21. In one exemplaryembodiment, dispenser 37 may be used to direct viscous material 35 intochannel 33 of mandibular denture template 21. According to variousexemplary embodiments, the components that combine to form viscousmaterial 35 may be mixed such as in a mixing tube within dispenser 37.Other techniques for forming and directing viscous material 35 tomandibular denture template 21 may be used in other exemplaryembodiments. Appropriate amounts of viscous material 35 are applied tomandibular denture template 21, being certain that there is a sufficientamount at the flanges to fully allow accurate border molding, asufficient amount at posterior 31 to form a post dam if needed and asufficient amount to prevent air bubbles.

Mandibular denture template 21 with viscous material 35 is then seatedon the appropriate alveolar edentulous ridge in the mouth. Conventionaltechniques for applying suitable pressure may be used. Anterior andposterior positioning relative to the patient's upper lip may beinitially carried out then checked. After the anterior/posteriorpositioning is carried out, further positioning is carried out.

During this time, the mandibular denture template 21 with viscousmaterial 35 is seated on the edentulous ridge of the patient and theimpression material, viscous material 35, conforms to the anatomy of thepatient's edentulous ridge. Mandibular denture template 21 is fitted inthe mouth to assure that there is minimal space between mandibulardenture template 21 and the edentulous ridge of the patient and withsufficient pressure to produce a customized conformal denture and toforce out any excess viscous material 35. After all the adjustments arecarried out and the position of the mandibular denture template 21 hasbeen determined to be correct in all three dimensions, functional bordermolding may be done. Conventional border molding techniques may be used.According to one exemplary embodiment, the border molding may be firstdone in the posterior flange areas, next in the canine areas and then inthe anterior portion. Once viscous material 35 takes on the shape of thepatient's anatomy after it has been finally positioned correctly andbegins to solidify, the apparatus, i.e., mandibular denture template 21with viscous material 35, is removed from the patient's mouth and excessviscous material 35 can be optimally trimmed from the buccal flangeareas at this stage. The conformal, inner surface of viscous material 35is checked for voids and to determine if any areas are void of the addedviscous material 35. If any such voids are noted, additional viscousmaterial may be added and the device reinserted and repositioned in thepatient's mouth.

The viscous material 35 is then urged to solidify completely andirreversibly. The solidification may be effectuated by the cross-linkingof an acrylic material that may advantageously be used, to form a longchain acrylic and this may take place by simply air drying, by cooling,or using other suitable curing techniques such as the light-stimulatedcuring of a photopolymerizable material to irreversibly harden viscousmaterial 35 to form a solidified material. For other materials, othersolidification techniques may be used. Depending on the particularinitially viscous material 35 that was used, the solidified material maybe a rigid material or a semi-rigid material with some degree ofelasticity and compressibility. After solidification is complete and anyadditional trimming has been carried out, the fabrication of the denturein one visit is complete after checking occlusion, speech, swallowingpatterns and flange finish, and the patient leaves with a customizeddenture.

The previously described sequence and methods apply to either themandibular or maxillary denture template. According to one exemplaryembodiment in which a patient requires both a mandibular and maxillarydenture, one advantageous sequence of operations includes firstfabricating the maxillary denture and then fabricating the mandibulardenture. In this embodiment, the adjustment of the mandibular denturetemplate can be made with proper occlusion to the previously fabricatedmaxillary denture template.

FIGS. 5A-5D show the completed custom maxillary denture formed from thecorresponding denture template 1 shown in FIGS. 2A-2D and according tothe method described with respect to another embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4 which show viscous material 35 added to an exemplarymandibular dental template. Returning to FIGS. 5A-5D, maxillary denture51 includes a first acrylic portion formed of base acrylic 3 ofmaxillary denture template 1 and second portion 53 formed of a furthermaterial that may preferably be acrylic and which had been added todenture template 1 as a viscous material but was urged or allowed tosolidify to form solidified second portion 53 which may be rigid orsemi-rigid. In a preferred embodiment, second portion 53 is formed ofsolidified acrylic. Maxillary denture 51 includes teeth 5. FIG. 5D bestillustrates that solidified second material 53 includes buccal flangesections 57 and inner surfaces 59. It should be understood thatsolidified second material 53 may be formed of a non-acrylic or acrylicmaterial. Base acrylic 3 and solidified second material 53 are in aconterminous relationship, directly contacting at interface 55.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a patient that has been fitted withboth a maxillary denture 51 and a mandibular denture 61. As seen mostclearly in mandibular denture 61, the denture consists of teeth 5, baseacrylic 23 and solidified material 63 such as formed from viscousmaterial 35 shown in FIG. 4 and which may advantageously be an acrylic.Base acrylic 23 and solidified material 63 are conterminous materialsand share interface 65.

The preceding merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Itwill thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able todevise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described orshown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are includedwithin its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples and conditionallanguage recited herein are principally intended expressly to be onlyfor pedagogical purposes and to aid the reader in understanding theprinciples of the invention and the concepts contributed by theinventors to furthering the art, and are to be construed as beingwithout limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions.Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, andembodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, areintended to encompass both structural and functional equivalentsthereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents and equivalents developed in the future,i.e., any elements developed that perform in the same function,regardless of structure.

This description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read inconnection with the figures of the accompanying drawings, which are tobe considered part of the entire written description. In thedescription, relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,”“vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as wellas derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,”etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then describedor as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms arefor convenience of description.

All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications,U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applicationsand non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/orlisted in the Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein byreference, in their entirety.

Although the invention has been described in terms of exemplaryembodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claimsshould be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodimentsof the invention, which may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of producing a denture, said methodcomprising: selecting for a patient having at least one edentulousalveolar ridge a pre-formed denture template from a plurality ofpre-formed denture templates, wherein the plurality of pre-formeddenture templates comprises pre-formed denture templates of at least twodifferent sizes, wherein each pre-formed denture template of theplurality of pre-formed denture templates comprises: a base portioncomprising a u-shaped trough generally in the shape of an alveolar ridgeand being configured to accept the one edentulous alveolar ridge of theat least one edentulous alveolar ridge into the u-shaped trough, whereinthe base portion is formed out of a first material; and prosthetic teethattached to the base portion; wherein the pre-formed denture template isselected from the pre-formed denture templates of at least two differentsizes to generally correspond to a size of the one edentulous alveolarridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridge; placing a viscoussecond material inside the u-shaped trough, wherein the viscous secondmaterial placed inside the u-shaped trough is the same material as thefirst material out of which the base portion is formed; positioning theu-shaped trough containing the viscous second material over the oneedentulous alveolar ridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridge;seating the pre-formed denture template on the one edentulous alveolarridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridge such that the oneedentulous alveolar ridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridgeis pressed into the viscous second material contained within theu-shaped trough thereby conforming a portion of the viscous secondmaterial contained within the u-shaped trough to the one edentulousalveolar ridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridge; andallowing the viscous second material to irreversibly solidify; measuringat least one dimension of the one edentulous alveolar ridge of the atleast one edentulous alveolar ridge to obtain at least one measurementof the at least one dimension, wherein the step of selecting thepre-formed denture template from the plurality of pre-formed denturetemplates is responsive to the at least one of the measurements, whereinthe at least one measurement comprises an inter-ridge distance definedas a distance between a center of a right posterior portion of the oneedentulous alveolar ridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridgeof the patient and a center of a left posterior portion of the oneedentulous alveolar ridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridgeof the patient, wherein the pre-formed denture template has aninter-molar distance defined as a distance between a posteriorprosthetic tooth of the prosthetic teeth on one side of the base portionand a corresponding posterior prosthetic tooth of the prosthetic teethon the opposite side of the base portion, and wherein the pre-formeddenture template is selected from the plurality of pre-formed denturetemplates so as to minimize a difference between the inter-ridgedistance and the inter-molar distance.
 2. The method of producing adenture of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in a single visit.3. The method of producing a denture of claim 1, wherein the pluralityof pre-formed denture templates comprises pre-formed denture templatesof at least five different sizes.
 4. The method of producing a dentureof claim 1, wherein the second material is placed in the u-shaped troughso that it directly contacts the first material.
 5. The method ofproducing a denture of claim 1, wherein the second material solidifiesinto a rigid layer directly contacting the first material of the baseportion.
 6. The method of producing a denture of claim 1, wherein thesecond material solidifies into a semi-rigid layer directly contactingthe first material of the base portion.
 7. The method of producing adenture of claim 1, wherein seating the pre-formed denture template onthe one edentulous alveolar ridge of the at least one edentulousalveolar ridge comprises applying pressure to at least one of an outersurface of the base portion and the prosthetic teeth attached to thebase portion.
 8. The method of producing a denture of claim 1, whereinthe pre-formed denture template comprises at least one of a maxillarypre-formed denture template configured to conform to at least onemaxillary structure of the patient comprising at least a palatal vault,and a mandibular pre-formed denture template configured to conform to atleast one mandibular structure of the patient comprising at least alingual space.
 9. The method of producing a denture of claim 8, whereinthe denture produced comprises a maxillary denture, the method furthercomprising producing a mandibular denture, wherein the maxillary dentureis used to align the mandibular denture within a mouth of the patientduring at least one step of producing the mandibular denture.
 10. Themethod of producing a denture of claim 1, wherein the pre-formed denturetemplate is selected from the plurality of pre-formed denture templatesso as to minimize a volume between an inner surface of the u-shapedtrough and the one edentulous alveolar ridge of the at least oneedentulous alveolar ridge.
 11. A method of producing a denture, saidmethod comprising: selecting for a patient having at least oneedentulous alveolar ridge a pre-formed denture template from a pluralityof pre-formed denture templates, wherein the plurality of pre-formeddenture templates comprises pre-formed denture templates of at least twodifferent sizes, wherein each pre-formed denture template of theplurality of pre-formed denture templates comprises: a base portioncomprising a u-shaped trough generally in the shape of an alveolar ridgeand being configured to at least partially accept one edentulousalveolar ridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridge into theu-shaped trough, wherein the base portion is formed out of a firstmaterial; and prosthetic teeth attached to the base portion; wherein thepre-formed denture template is selected from the pre-formed denturetemplates of at least two different sizes to generally correspond to asize of the one edentulous alveolar ridge of the at least one edentulousalveolar ridge; placing a second material inside the u-shaped trough,wherein the second material placed inside the u-shaped trough;positioning the u-shaped trough containing the second material over theone edentulous alveolar ridge of the at least one edentulous alveolarridge; seating the pre-formed denture template on the one edentulousalveolar ridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridge such thatthe one edentulous alveolar ridge of the at least one edentulousalveolar ridge is pressed into the second material contained within theu-shaped trough thereby conforming a portion of the second materialcontained within the u-shaped trough to the one edentulous alveolarridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridge; and allowing thesecond material to irreversibly solidify into a rigid negative of theone edentulous alveolar ridge of the at least one edentulous alveolarridge; measuring at least one dimension of the one edentulous alveolarridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridge to obtain at leastone measurement of the at least one dimension, wherein the step ofselecting the pre-formed denture template from the plurality ofpre-formed denture templates is responsive to the at least one of themeasurements, wherein the at least one measurement comprises aninter-ridge distance defined as a distance between a center of a rightposterior portion of the one edentulous alveolar ridge of the at leastone edentulous alveolar ridge of the patient and a center of a leftposterior portion of the one edentulous alveolar ridge of the at leastone edentulous alveolar ridge of the patient, wherein the pre-formeddenture template has an inter-molar distance defined as a distancebetween a posterior prosthetic tooth of the prosthetic teeth on one sideof the base portion and a corresponding posterior prosthetic tooth ofthe prosthetic teeth on the opposite side of the base portion, andwherein the pre-formed denture template is selected from the pluralityof pre-formed denture templates so as to minimize a difference betweenthe inter-ridge distance and the inter-molar distance.
 12. The method ofproducing a denture of claim 11, wherein the method is performed in asingle visit.
 13. The method of producing a denture of claim 11, whereinthe plurality of pre-formed denture templates comprises pre-formeddenture templates of at least five different sizes.
 14. The method ofproducing a denture of claim 11, wherein the second material is placedin the u-shaped trough so that it directly contacts the first material.15. The method of producing a denture of claim 11, wherein the secondmaterial solidifies into a rigid layer directly contacting the firstmaterial of the base portion.
 16. The method of producing a denture ofclaim 11, wherein seating the pre-formed denture template on the oneedentulous alveolar ridge of the at least one edentulous alveolar ridgecomprises applying pressure to at least one of an outer surface of thebase portion and the prosthetic teeth attached to the base portion. 17.The method of producing a denture of claim 11, wherein the pre-formeddenture template comprises at least one of a maxillary pre-formeddenture template configured to conform to at least one maxillarystructure of the patient comprising at least a palatal vault, and amandibular pre-formed denture template configured to conform to at leastone mandibular structure of the patient comprising at least a lingualspace.
 18. The method of producing a denture of claim 17, wherein thedenture produced comprises a maxillary denture, the method furthercomprising producing a mandibular denture, wherein the maxillary dentureis used to align the mandibular denture within a mouth of the patientduring at least one step of producing the mandibular denture.
 19. Themethod of producing a denture of claim 11, wherein the pre-formeddenture template is selected from the plurality of pre-formed denturetemplates so as to minimize a volume between an inner surface of theu-shaped trough and the one edentulous alveolar ridge of the at leastone edentulous alveolar ridge.